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Student Experience Blog: Everyday Life

I’ve spent a large part of my day in the library, wondering what I’m going to do with my life, and trying to get all of my last remaining assignments done so that I can focus on studying for my finals for the rest of the week. I’ve been pretty stressed about finals, because I know that they’ll be here before I’m even close to ready. But I was very productive today and decided to take a little break after dinner, and it has turned out to be one of the most enjoyable Tuesdays in memory. I went to Ballroom for the last twenty minutes or so, long enough to learn how to jive.

I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me that much, but upon my return to C of I after a delightful Thanksgiving Break, I found a stocking hanging on my dorm room door. And this wasn't a mini stocking fit for a newborn--this was a legitimate stocking, ready for Santa to stuff with lots of toys and goodies. It even had my name on it. One of my suitemates was thoughtful enough to have prepared stockings for everyone in the group, encouraging us to leave small gifts in each one before we close for the Holiday Break three weeks from now.

With the election just behind us, people are having all kinds of reactions to Obama’s reelection. One of my favorite things that has come out of this election is the circulation of petitions for secession from the Union. Those and the petitions to petition the original petitions. People are just petitioning everything and I personally find it absurd and hilarious.

Something wonderful happened on Wednesday this week. I walked into the caf for lunch, and noticed that most of the desserts had been relocated. I immediately took a picture and sent it to my friend Kristin. This was a personal victory for us: we’ve been writing poems to the caf on a nearly nightly basis, asking them to hide the desserts from us. It has been a very lighthearted project, but we are at least a little bit serious about it. The problem is that the caf makes really, really good food, particularly dessert.

So I think it is increaingly important in today's world not to burn out. I am a poster child for burn out cases, with a work ethic that is strange to say the least. I normally am of the school of thought that doesn't really care for most things. I am not the best of students, because if something does not stimulate me, then I do not really care much for it. But if something is exciting for me intellectually, then I go all out on it. Case in point being the arts.

It has finally arrived. The break that I have been yearning for ever since the start of midterms. Fall break is a wonderful time of year, where I spend most of my days rejuvenating in my bed and eating soup (because the caf is closed). But while I am not in bed, I am at practice, preparing for our last conference games this weekend. This is one of the reasons why I am on campus all Fall Break, another reason is because I like to be here. The weather has finally turned and so have the colours of the leaves.

It’s Fall Break, which marks the end of the first six weeks of my sophomore year. I’m celebrating by being a responsible citizen and voting early. I was all ready to request an absentee ballot so that I could vote from the comfort of Caldwell, but since I’m home in Boise for the week, I can just drop by the Ada County Elections Office and cast my vote early. I’m also getting ready to watch the presidential debate tonight, maybe with a cat sitting in my lap, since I am at home.

Hayman is generally known to be a little bit louder than the other dorms, and I have to say, I wouldn't have it any other way. Something is always going on, whether it is a study party, a game of Ultimate Spoons, a Nerf War, movie night, Assassins, or just a small-scale dance party. For those of you who have never had the chance to experience it firsthand, I've filmed a typical Sunday night. Here is a little taste of life in Hayman:

On Wednesday night, I got to meet the latest crop of Heritage Scholars. All the freshmen and some of the upperclassmen gathered in Blatchley, divided into teams, and set off on a photo scavenger hunt across campus with the goal of getting as many photo items as possible while getting to know our group. I was on a team with two freshmen, Colton and Demir, and a Russell, a junior.

My time at The College has given me a lot of things. It's fostered many passions, advised simultaneous skepticism and open-thinking, and granted me chances for both exploration and (just as necessary) failure. All of these things, while granting me many different types of knowledge, have given me a special window to learn about my personal growth.